(Editor’s note: A more detailed article on this subject will appear in the upcoming Sept.-Oct. issue of James magazine.)
It was in April 2017 when SunTrust Park – the new home of the Atlanta Braves – and The Battery Atlanta opened their doors. More than 2.5 million baseball fans attended games, an increase of 500,000 fans over 2016 attendance.
The Braves move to Cobb County was driven primarily by the team’s goal to move closer to its fan base, most of whom live north of Interstate-285. Another key factor was team’s desire to control real estate around a new ballpark, and the opportunity to attract new residents, retail and restaurant businesses, and corporate offices.
Their plan is working.
Thyssenkrupp Elevator Americas, one of the world’s largest elevator companies, recently announced it will lease 150,000 square feet in a new 300,000-square-foot office building constructed by the Braves Development Company. The building will house more than 900 full-time employees in jobs that will have an average wage of $100,000 annually. The company is also leasing land in The Battery and will construct a 140,000-square-foot, $100-million laboratory and conference center. Its 420-foot high innovation tower will also house new special event space.
Total investment by the Braves Development Company and Thyssenkrupp is estimated at $240 million.
Today, The Battery Atlanta is in full swing – much like the team’s bats ushered in the 2018 season with rookie superstars Ozzie Albies and Ronald Acuna, Jr.
Battery retailers now include the Braves Clubhouse Store, Archer Paper Goods, Mizuno Experience Center, Select Shades, Tomahawk Harley Davidson, Baseballism, DressUp, Mizzen+Main, Sugarboo & Co. and an Xfinity Store.
And there are a lot more options to boost fans’ blood sugar before or after a game, including CRU Food & Wine Bar, Sports and Social, The EL Felix, Antico Pizza, Goldberg’s Fine Foods, Punch Bowl Social, Wahlburgers, Feed Fried Chicken and Such, Garden & Gun Club, Haagen-Dazs, Yard House, C. Ellet’s, First and Third, PBR Atlanta (A Coors Bar), Terrapin Taproom, Achie’s (on the ground floor of the Omni Hotel) and much more.
Revenue from leasing space to restaurants, bars and shops is invested into the baseball team, thus providing a funding source to build a “championship-caliber organization.” The Braves describe their strategy as “a new era in stadium planning and construction and overall fan experience.”
“This is about delivering the greatest game day experience to the fans and maintaining that excitement every day of the year,” notes Derek Schiller, President and CEO of the Braves. “That idea became SunTrust Park and The Battery Atlanta – the home of Braves Country.”
The Braves are not the only organization looking for returns on their new development.
SunTrust Park and the Battery Atlanta generated $3 million in new property, sales and other tax revenue to Cobb County, and $4.9 million in new permit fees.
Cobb schools, which receive a portion of sales tax revenues, benefited from SunTrust Park and The Battery as well, with $2.7 million in new tax revenues.
In 2018, Cobb County property tax revenues are expected to triple, due in large part to the Braves’ investments.
Brooks Mathis, executive vice president of the Cobb Chamber which played a key role in the Braves’ move through its Select Cobb economic development program, estimates Select Cobb contributed to more than 23,918 new jobs and $2.8 billion in new private investments, including new housing options that played a role in increasing Cobb’s millennial population by 26 percent.
“Since the Braves’ announcement, we’ve seen a surge in investment and job creation in the Cumberland area,” Mathis added. “Companies such as Synovus, HD Supply, Genuine Parts Corporation, Race Trac, Delta Community Credit Union, Bennett Thrasher, Elf on the Shelf, Brasfield & Gorrie, Vonage Business and Aarons, Inc. have announced headquarters or general office moves to Cobb, and the ThyssenKrupp move follows Comcast Regional headquarters, which brought 1,000 high-paying jobs.”
Cobb residents rightfully questioned the county’s annual investments in the stadium. The jury is still out, but $2.7 million in new tax revenues generated by the stadium to Cobb schools, and a $200 million world headquarters that is bringing 900 full-time jobs with average salaries of $100,000– and still plenty of space for more tax-generating development to come– is a good start.
Tal Wright is an Atlanta area media/marketing/communications consultant.
